m were mother's small two-leaved tea-table and
the settee like four chairs in a row, a stove, etc., all so comfortable.
We never lived in a house in Minnesota in which we felt the cold so
little in winter. From an item in my old scrap-book concerning the
moving of the house, it said it had three thicknesses of floor boards,
and the same for the outside, so it was built for comfort. My little
room over the parlor--my first own room--had in it the bureau made by my
grandfather Burr. My bedstead, a posted one, was corded with bed cords,
had one good straw bed and a fluffy feather bed on top of that, with
patch work quilts. In that little room I made many beginnings. I learned
to wash the floor on my knees for I had no carpet.

At the time when the Mill Company's property was partly owned by a
bachelor named A. W. Taylor, the other owners were very anxious to buy
out his share so were making great effort to persuade him to sell. My
mother was given the money, all in gold, or probably father put it in
her care, ready to make the payment if he came to terms which he finally
did. My knowledge of this fact came from mother being all alone at
night. She told me that in one corner of the blue chest were bags of
gold amounting to $10,000. Afterward I could understand that she felt
too anxious to sleep and that in case of any foul deed, I could answer
for her. In those days, however, men were honest and money plentiful.
Many times has my father ridden to or from St. Paul with a sack of money
in the buggy seat beside him.

About this time it was getting to be the custom in Washington and other
large cities for ladies to receive gentlemen callers on New Year's Day,
so the first year St. Anthony followed that custom, by Mrs. Camp's
suggestions and help, I was the first to receive callers, with Mrs. Camp
as chaperone. I am not quite sure who were our callers, probably Mr.
Camp, T. E. B. North, J. B. Shaw and others. Pound and fruit cake with
fragrant coffee and rich cream were served.

In our house was organized the first Masonic Lodge. I remember it
perfectly well. My mother had arranged the house in such perfect order
we children felt something unusual was to happen. Mother first was
elected Tyler. I couldn't understand why we couldn't even peep through
the key-hole. I saw Mr. John H. Stevens and Mr. Isaac Atwater pass into
the parlor where they spent the evening with my father. Mother proved a
faithful Tyler and all the satisfacti